Heretofore many oil wells having marginal production have been shut in due to the relatively high cost of pumping said wells utilizing conventional equipment and techniques. It is well known that the production from any selected well is not consistent therefore a pumper, on a fixed schedule, is not likely to pump said well at the most opportune time to obtain maximum production. Furthermore, although mechanical and electric timers have been used to periodically activate the pumps in an attempt to replace the pumper, this combination has the attendant disadvantages heretofore mentioned and frequent inspection of the equipment at the well site is still required.
Although gas operated pumps have heretofore been used for many applications, in continuous supply of compressed gas is normally used and the cost of such continuous operation, especially when higher operating pressures are required, is relatively expensive.